Cottonwood Madonna
I happened across this carving in an old cottonwood tree while photographing in Albuquerque’s Old Town in October of 2006. As it is behind the church and facing away from the road (alley) I was quite surprised to find it – I was photographing the rear of the church, turned around and there she was! The following is what I could find out about her online:
healing from inside
the heart of a cottonwood
nuestra señora
The story goes that in 1970 a parishioner of the 300-year-old San Felipe de Neri, Albuquerque’s oldest Catholic parish, carved the image of the Virgin de Guadalupe into the open wound of an ancient dying cottonwood. The Virgin saved the tree’s life. (Haiku and text from Red Ravine, “Virgin Cottonwood Haiku“)
Behind the San Felipe de Neri Church, there is a treasure that very few locals even know about. Some call her the Lady of the Tree, others the Cottonwood Madonna. In the parking lot behind the church, a tall cottonwood stands near the wall. Embedded in the tree’s trunk, along its natural indentations, someone carved the figure of a Madonna. (from About.com, “A Walk Through Old Town“)
One Comment
Nice shot. I like that you can see the leaves in the pink area above the angel. You’re lucky to have come upon this. Most people truly have no idea it’s there. The day we were looking at it, a group of people came into the church through the back courtyard and noticed us. It was only then that they saw the Virgen de Guadalupe.